Editor Interview: Rhonda Helms from Carina Press

Visiting with us today on Monday Meet and Greet is author and editor Rhonda Helms. I have had the pleasure of speaking with Rhonda about editing an upcoming book, and quickly discovered that she is a sharp professional in her field, as well as being a delightful person! Rhonda wears many literary hats; by turns she is a professional editor for Carina Press, a respected freelance editor, and a prolific author of YA and NA romance.

But I know you’re not here for my signature quick wit and abuse of animated GIFs, so let’s get into the interview and get to know Rhonda!

What made you want to be an editor?

I got into editing with nonfiction (my degrees are in English), but when I moved to fiction, I realized it was the perfect fit for me. My editing has helped shape my writing craft, and vice versa. And I continue to grow in my editing craft all the time because I learn from other authors and editors too. This job makes me blissfully happy. :D

What elements are MUST HAVES in a story you’d acquire?

It must have a compelling storyline. I'm seeking storytellers who can hook readers and make them keep turning the pages. I'm not seeking perfect manuscripts; we can work on cleaning up and tightening language, strengthening character, fixing plot holes, etc. But in the end, I just want a story that won't let me go.

What are your story/plot/character pet peeves?

I see the same openings ALL the time: characters waking from dreams, characters in a bar looking to hook up, characters walking in on a significant other cheating, characters arriving at a new place, etc. Fresh opening hooks help me get into your story quicker. Be original! Even if you do one of the above, how can you spin it so it's unique?

Describe a “day in the life” in your job.

I get up in the morning, answer emails, wake up and generally take care of minor administrative things. Then I work on editing. In the afternoon, I usually shift to writing and/or reading submissions. I work at home, so I set my own schedule, which I super love. LOL!

What is one essential writing tip you would give to writers aspiring for publication?

Read. Read a ton of books. Read good books and analyze what the author is doing that hooked you, regarding character and plot and setting and all those things. Read bad books and analyze where the shortcomings were. That's my top tip for writers--you should read!

Tons of great advice here! Now, Rhonda was a great sport about answering some not-so-serious questions too.

Who is your all-time favorite villain?

Oh, probably the hottie bald dude from The Mummy movie. I know he's bad, but he just wanted to be reunited with his love. How can I argue against that? Plus it doesn't hurt that he's attractive. OKAY, YOU CAN BE SUPER EVIL. Here, take my heart too. /sigh

Last book that make you either laugh out loud or reach for the Kleenex.

I just finished reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and there were some LOL moments in there. Those characters were super eccentric, so unlike anyone I've ever met in my life. 

What’s your favorite place that you’ve ever visited?

New Orleans is an amazing place. It's so different than anywhere else. But I also loved Hawaii--hello, sunshine and beautiful water. Not sure I can pick. lol

If you were not an editor or a writer, what would be your dream job?

I'd be a lounge singer. I loooooooove singing and performing music. I was in a cover band for a while, even!

And there you have it folks! You can find Rhonda on Twitter at @RHelmsBooks, her author page, or her editing page. Thanks for stopping by, and let us know what you think in the comments!

Dear Author Dearest

     Plotting or pantsing?

One question that has come up at nearly every meeting, panel, or workshop I’ve been a part of has been the issue of plotting novels (planning the story ahead of time) versus writing on the fly or “pantsing,” as in writing by the seat of your pants.

Now, my first instinct is to come snapping at you a la Westside Story and whisper “Outline!”

Jazz hands! 

After all, I have completed six novels (of varying quality) by outlining, and I have completed zero novels by pantsing. Therefore, plotting is the correct answer.

It’s the correct answer for me, Jessica Hawke. It works for me and my brain, which desperately needs structure. My pre-writing process borders on excessive. I go through a brainstorming stage with index cards, lay out a physical storyboard, and then create an outline from that. Just for reference, the outline of the book I’m working on right now is about nine pages, just over 4200 words. 

This is an example of a storyboard I did for a YA novel a few years ago.

(Before getting into my argument for why plotting is awesome, I’m going to just mention that I use the term “outline” and “plot” pretty much interchangeably.)

Contrary to popular belief, doing all this work ahead of time doesn’t suck the magic out of the story. While the map metaphors for outlining are a bit overused at this point, they’re apt. When I go on a road trip, I want to know where I’m going. I turn on the GPS, enter my destination, and then I follow the directions. I deviate only if absolutely necessary.

And shockingly, it doesn’t ruin the trip! It’s comforting to know that I will eventually get to where I’m going. Along the way, I can enjoy the scenery. I can even pull off the road if I see something that interests me, because I know how to get back on track to my destination.

The same goes with writing. I would much rather hash out the details of structure in a smaller form. Outlining and storyboarding give you a literal birds’ eye view of the story. It’s much less distressing to trash five pages of an outline than to trash fifty thousand words of prose.

Novels are long-form stories. They are not the sort of work where you get a spark of an idea over morning coffee and have a completed story on paper by suppertime. And unless you have an incredible innate sense of story structure, it’s very difficult to shape a satisfying, engaging story that encompasses upwards of sixty thousand words.

To quote one of my favorite writers, Chuck Wendig: 

Your story hasn’t proven itself, but an outline serves as the proving grounds. You take the story and break it apart before you even begin — so, by the time you do put the first sentence down, you have confidence in the tale you’re about to tell. Confidence is the writer’s keystone; an outline can lend you that confidence. 

This is where I will give my advice, and you can take it with a grain or ten of salt. If you find yourself struggling to finish a novel, or you get stuck in the middle and don’t know where to go, then consider plotting. Consider this tidbit from NYT and USA Today bestseller Melissa de la Cruz: 

So many unpublished first (or second or third or 44th) novels begin halfway through the book because the writer has spent the first 150 pages giving us the background story instead of starting with THE STORY. Know your characters inside and out, where they came from, where they want to go, so that when you begin writing the book, you already know how they will act/react to events in the story. 

The good news is that there are as many ways to outline as there are writers. You don’t have to write a nine-page outline. You might just need to come up with the major story beats and go from there. For instance, Finding Nemo: 

Nemo’s mom dies, Marlin left single dad

•  Nemo goes to school field trip, gets taken on the boat
•  Marlin follows Nemo; meets Dory along way
•  Nemo makes friends in fish tank; finds out crazy niece Darla is going to take him
•  Marlin and Dory find where Nemo is and pursue
•  Wacky hijinx
•   Family reunited

I haven’t included all the fun details about Bruce the shark, or the pelican, or the great scenes in the fishtank. But this outline hits most of the major story beats.

What if your story veers in a different direction? Does that ever happen? Absolutely. I don’t plan out every single detail, and sometimes as I get to know my characters and learn how they think, then I realize that they probably wouldn’t do what I originally planned. It can also happen that I’m fifty thousand words in and suddenly realize that I have driven myself into a giant plot hole. Usually I catch them in planning, but every once in a while I miss one. In that case, I reconsider my outline and decide if it needs to change. I have removed scenes or added scenes to my outline mid-story. And that’s okay! Think of it as taking a wrong turn. Your GPS pipes up and says… “Recalculating.” You’ll still get where you’re going, just not the exact way you expected.

So, to wrap things up, I’m going to leave you with some homework reading.

• Advice for Young Writers – Melissa de la Cruz (http://melissa-delacruz.com/index.php/info/advice/)
• 25 Things You Should Know About Outlining – Chuck Wendig (http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/05/14/25-things-you-should-know-about-outlining/)
• Writer’s Digest: To Plan or To Plunge? (http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/to-plan-or-to-plunge-outlining-debate)

Until next time, write on!

-- Jessica Hawke, author of Phantom Touch, Crescent Moon Press.

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If you have a question for Dear Author Dearest, email darklydeliciousya(at)gmail(dot)com with Dear Author Dearest in the subject line.

The Darker Side of Cutting Characters, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Kill My Darlings by Jessica Hawke

There is a much-loved quote by William Faulkner – “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” Now, I suppose you could take this literally and kill off everyone that a reader could possibly love. 

(I’m looking at you, George R.R. Martin. You too, Suzanne Collins. You sit in a corner and think about what you’ve done. This is why we can’t have nice things.) 

However, I think a less literal interpretation is a little closer to what Faulkner meant. 

As we write, we can grow emotionally attached to the elements of our story. Maybe it’s a character that we adore or a scene that seems so perfect that it should be in writing manuals as an example of impeccable writing. You know you’ve done it. You’ve written that one flawless sentence that should be engraved in gold and preserved for all eternity as manifested genius. 

And don’t get me wrong - it’s not a bad thing to appreciate your own writing. It’s a nice change from the usual negative commentary that we face. However, when we become overly attached to these things – our “darlings” – then we have a hard time editing them out, even if they aren’t serving their purpose. A beautiful sentence is worthless if it doesn’t fit the story, like handing a flawless diamond to someone dying of thirst. It’s just a heavy rock that they don’t need.

Or we can get really Zen about it with the koan:

If you meet the Buddha on the way, kill him.

This isn’t supposed to inspire violence against Buddha, but rather an admonition to cut attachments that would hinder your path to enlightenment. I think it transfers well to writing. Instead of heading toward enlightenment, we’re striving for the best version of our story that we can write. This means we have to cut any elements that weigh it down.

I’m actually facing this right now in my WIP. My dear friend is my beta reader, and while she liked the story and the voice, she was pretty sure there were too many secondary characters. 

My first thoughts:

They are wonderful characters and I’m quite sure that Tumblr would develop a massive fandom for them! *cough*

The main character spends the first two chapters in the company of a delightfully colorful sidekick. He’s a deep-fried, whiskey-marinated redneck with a gambling problem and a heart of gold. What’s not to love? And then there’s the tough, world-wise preacher who’s far too handsome for his own good. He’s a holy man crossed with a Hell’s Angel, and he’s just about the only person who gets my tough-as-nails MC all aflutter. 

I adore both characters, but my friend had a point. It wasn’t that they weren’t developed. Both characters had distinct personalities, and they were both fairly memorable. But the first half of the book basically had a revolving door. These guys came and went and didn’t contribute anything major to the plot. 

Redneck Guy was more set dressing than anything else. He establishes the situation – not good – that the MC is in at the beginning of the story. Then he disappears after Chapter 2 and only reappears via phone call in the back half of the book. His only major contribution could have been done by literally anyone else in the book. 

Preacher Man was only slightly more significant. He first appears around Chapter 6 to give the MC some sage advice and stir up an old crush, and then is off-stage until the very end of the book. Like Redneck Guy, he doesn’t do anything that can’t be done by someone else.

Furthermore, the book already has a fair number of minor characters. It follows two main characters solving a mystery, so they encounter a number of suspects, witnesses, and law enforcement officials. Each one of them either takes some action that pushes the plot along or contributes information that helps solve the mystery. 

Preacher Man and Redneck Guy, as lovable as they were, didn’t do either. Sadly, these darlings had to go.

Now that I’m editing, I’ve given them their pink slips. Redneck Guy actually makes a brief cameo, and he’ll hopefully show up in another book. I’m avoiding Preacher Man by having the protagonist simply not return to her hometown to see him for now.

It’s difficult to cut a character. I’m a hardcore outliner when I write, and when I first envisioned this book, it involved both of these darlings. Obviously, they seemed important at the time. I mean, why would I have come up with them if I didn’t think it was the best way to tell the story? And with all the time spent on a first draft, it’s easy to become attached to them. But if they’re not doing their job, they have to go. A story grows and twists as you write it, and you can’t be afraid to follow where it leads.

I was going to offer some advice, but Margo wrote an absolutely fantastic set of questions to ask yourself if a character needs to go. So, I’m going to defer to her awesomeness and direct you there for more advice. (Hyperlink to Margo’s post: http://darklydeliciousya.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-darker-side-of-cutting-characters.html)

Don’t be afraid to cut those ties. If your darling is dead weight, then push them on out of the boat Dexter-style. If you meet your darling on the road, you must kill the darling.

The Dark Deliciousness of Working with Writing Groups by Jessica Hawke

“I love it, this is great!”

“Sorry, but this isn’t working for me.”

*silence* 

Ah, the joys of working with a writing group. You’re all alone with the keyboard, but when you emerge from your Fortress of Solitude for a caffeine break, it’s great to have a group of supportive, like-minded folks who understand your journey. 

Get ready for a long one, because the Hawke flew away on this one.

One of the greatest things about working with a writing group is the ability to bounce ideas off of other creative minds. Within a group of creative minds, each has their own flavor of insanity percolating in their addled brains. (Yes, all writers have some degree of insanity.) Our writing life is influenced by the media we’ve consumed, fusing together like subtly tinted glass to give us each a unique filter through which we view the world. 

So you’re in the brainstorming stage, and you can’t figure out why your protagonist hasn’t spoken to her sister in ten years. When you propose the scenario to the group, a romance writer will have different thoughts than a thriller writer, who will have different thoughts altogether from the paranormal writer. You may find an idea you would never have considered yourself, and this only makes your writing stronger.

A less tangible, but still incredibly important, part of working with a group is the motivation and encouragement. In a group of writers, everyone understands the insane swing of motions we experience while going through a first draft. When your inner critic screams, “This is the worst crap you’ve ever written,” a supportive writing group will pat your head, pass the chocolate, and say “we know how you feel, but you have to keep writing.”

Another great benefit – probably the main reason to be in a group – is exchanging feedback. Now, I am not currently part of a devoted critique group. Instead, I work with members of our local NaNoWriMo group. We generally don’t exchange full manuscripts, but instead share short scenes or chapters for feedback. Depending on who reads, it can be a really useful tool to see if your writing is working. You can ask if a certain emotion is being effectively conveyed, or if anything is difficult to follow. 

Now, as much of a positive person as I usually am, I’m also practical. There are times when you have to take feedback – positive or negative – or advice with a grain of salt. Just because someone says it would be a great idea to shake your story up by throwing in a triceratops-riding necromancer or just to write in stream-of-consciousness from the point of view of the protagonist’s pet tarantula, doesn’t make it so.

Some people confuse “novelty” with “good novel writing.” And just because someone enjoys reading your writing doesn’t mean it’s fantastic or even great. It may sound harsh, but you have to take every “great job” with a grain of salt. Most people mean well, but many are afraid to say anything that could be construed as mean, so they won’t speak up on something that is legitimately not working. 

Maybe it’s a holdover from kindergarten, when we learned, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” The key is constructive criticism – as in, commentary that helps rebuild the work to be better than it was, not just splashing red ink on the page and stapling a Burger King application to the manuscript.

This is where it becomes helpful to nurture a relationship with someone whose critical eye you can trust, and will give you honest feedback. For me, that person is actually my best friend, who is kind enough to let me bounce my ideas off her as well as read my rough drafts to give me feedback on big story issues. 

This process can be scary – a bit like a new romantic interest – so don’t be afraid to communicate to critique partners what you want. In general, you shouldn’t be asking people to read your work if all you want them to do is tell you how wonderful you are. (Yes, that kind of thing can be nice, but it’s not really a great use of their time right now!) 

Do you want them reading for grammar and syntax? Do you want them to tell you how they feel about your characters? If the plot is keeping their interest? If the voice is snappy enough? If they can see your “super secret twist ending” coming from twenty chapters away? Let them know, and it will make it much more likely that you’ll get useful feedback. 

Finally, I have to throw it out there. If you are part of a group and you expect feedback, make sure that you are also giving it. I know as well as anyone how precious time is, and it can be hard to carve out time to read someone else’s work. However, it’s just the nice thing to do if you expect others to give their precious time to critique your work. 

If they haven’t given you direction, ask them if there are specific things they’d like feedback on. This is where you may need to test the waters. I like to give helpful feedback. Unless I’m reading something that is utterly flawless, I feel disingenuous if I just say “Wow this was amazing!” So I may compliment the writing style or the snappy voice, but then offer a piece of constructive criticism on at least one thing the writer could improve. (If that’s what they want. If someone says something like “Positive comments only, no haters” then that’s not something I am going to spend my time reading, honestly. Even Stephen King has to do a second draft.) 

Writing is largely a solitary effort, but as they say, “all of us is greater than one of us.” I hope you find a group that will help you grow as a writer!